Virgin Australia’s new Adelaide service touch down tomorrow, in a first for the airline and their South Australian connection with Tropical North Queensland.
The new triweekly services add to Jetstar’s daily services from Adelaide and will give more choice and greater flexibility to South Australians who are looking for a tropical escape.
In 2019 Cairns Airport saw just over 55,000 visitor arrivals from Adelaide, making it the third largest interstate market.
Cairns Airport Chief Operating Officer Garry Porter said the new services meant Cairns and Adelaide would be more connected than they had ever been before and offered a real chance for the region to grow its South Australian visitor market.
“We’re delighted to welcome these new services from South Australia, and I congratulate Virgin on their commitment to this route. With the current travel restrictions in place in NSW and Victoria, this increased connectivity offers the region an opportunity to really capture a more substantial share of the South Australian domestic tourism market.
“We’re working with Adelaide Airport on a campaign aimed at attracting more two-way visitation across our two regions and inform would-be travellers of the incredibly diverse range of experiences and attractions available across Tropical North Queensland and South Australia.”
“With the current NSW and Victorian travel restrictions in place we know many local operators are and businesses are facing enormous challenges and these green shoots are really important right now,” Mr Porter said.
Virgin Australia Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer Alistair Hartley said the new three-times weekly flights would make it easier for Australians to experience the natural wonders of Tropical North Queensland.”
“As a must-visit destination for nature lovers and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, these new flights will deliver more than 500 seats per week, as well as a much-needed boost for the local tourism economy.
To give customers added confidence when booking, we are also waiving applicable change fees and allowing unlimited changes for bookings for travel between now and 28 February 2022.”
The new services now take the total number of seats from Adelaide into Cairns to 1,788 seats per week.